Wilted Rose (Prologue)
by Raphael Comet
Summary: Two stories outlining what happens before the start of the Wilted Rose story. We get a look at Lucretia back in her military days and what led her to defect. Main characters are OCs from my Simpler Times project.
1. Chapter 1 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Everyone's attention was glued to a small, white ball as it spun around and around. As the wheel began to slow, everyone took in a deep breath and held it, awaiting the final stop of the little, plastic object. The wheel finally stopped and the ball ceased its journey in one of thirty-eight spots.

"Red, twenty-one."

There were a loud number of groans from the surrounding crowd with few shrieks of success intertwined with them. Among the winners was Lucretia Ren, a classy-looking woman wearing a bright red dress and high heels. She had a confident smirk on her face as she looked at the ball, then to the croupier.

"Congratulations on your winnings, Ms. Ren," said the croupier as he paid out her winnings, which amounted in the several hundreds.

"Why thank you, Jean. Could you be a dear and color me up? I think it's about time I retired to the bar," said Lucretia, pushing her highly-stacked piles of chips towards him.

Jean the croupier gave her a nod and exchanged her chips, passing back a small tray of high-denomination chips. She smiled and took the tray, leaving a chip on the table as a tip for him. "Thanks again," she said before making her way to the chip exchange. Once she got there, she handed over her tray of chips and her debit card.

"Another large take, eh, Ms. Ren?" said the chip exchange teller.

"Got really lucky on the Blackjack tables and a bit on the Roulette. Not my best night, but at least I didn't end up in the negative," she said with a smirk.

"As always, ma'am." Before she took the tray, the TV next to her caught her attention as another report about a pirate raid aired on the news. "Oh dear, another ship was attacked by space pirates. Have you been keeping up with the recent attacks in the area?"

Lucretia nodded her head. "Yeah. They've been keeping everyone busy at the office. It's weird how they've suddenly started sprouting up."

The teller nodded and took the chips, digitally adding the amount to her debit card. When she was done, Lucretia took the card and thanked the teller before making her way to the nearby bar. She walked along the luxurious, gold and scarlet carpet as she held her dainty purse in hand, smiling as she watched the other people gamble away their paychecks, life's savings, and inheritance. She had been coming there for quite some time whenever she had a break from her work, and she had seen her fair share of disappointments. Fortunately for her, she was a smart gambler and relied on common sense and skill, rather than emotion and a need for instant gratification. And as previous winnings had demonstrated to her, perhaps a bit of luck factored in to her success as well.

She entered the dimly lit bar, which was a large contrast to the lively and brightly-lit casino floor next door. It was moderately occupied, but still had plenty of secluded spots to relax. She approached the bar and took a seat, tapping on the touch-screen order system on the countertop and ordering the usual, a cherry-mint daiquiri. The bartender received her order, and within a few minutes, came by with her drink, placing it in front of her on the counter. As the drink was set down, the countertop's holo-display showed Lucretia the drink's ingredients, alcohol content, and other nutritional facts.

Taking the drink in hand, she thanked the barkeep and took a long swig, nearly finishing half of the beverage. She sighed with relief, licking her lips as she set it back down on the counter, the statistics changing on the display to match the new volume of liquid in the glass.

As she was sitting there, the seat next to her was suddenly occupied by a man wearing a tailored black suit. He ordered his drink using the holo-display as well then turned to Lucretia. "That was some pretty fine gambling. You won quite a lot at the Roulette table. Do you come here often?" he said.

Lucretia took another sip from her daiquiri then turned to him. "Indeed, but not as much as I'd like. I only get so many weekends off." She swished the contents of her glass around, examining the man before her with his slicked-back hair and cheap smile. "But why the sudden interest?"

He shrugged, taking his drink from the bartender when he came by with it. "Is it a crime to share a drink with such a beautiful looking woman such as yourself?" He tapped her glass with his and took a sip.

"No, I suppose not." She drank her beverage as well, setting her empty glass on the counter.

The man smiled and set his glass down. "The name's Rayff, by the way," he said, outstretching his hand for a shake.

Lucretia scoffed quietly at him, returning his handshake. "Lucretia. Nice to meet you, I guess."

He withdrew his hand and noticed that her drink was finished. "Looks like you're empty. Mind if I buy you another round?"

She looked at her empty glass, then back to him, shrugging. "Sure. Why not?"

For the next hour or so, the two of them continued to talk, purchasing over six drinks between the two of them. Lucretia was definitely inebriated and Rayff was too, but not as much as she was; it was all going according to his plan.

After getting her nice and drunk, he decided it was time to continue with his plot. He smiled and turned to her, setting down his drink. "So, did you drive here? You don't look like you're in the best condition to be driving anywhere."

Lucretia groaned a bit, holding her head. "Yeah. I think I had one drink too many." She let out another sigh as she winced from the stinging sensation in her head.

"You know, I got a room on the 20th floor with a nice view. You can sleep off your headache and leave in the morning, I mean, if you want." He looked at her, trying to seem as genuine and honest as possible despite his evil intentions.

Hearing him talk about bringing her back to his room, she looked up and tried to get a read on him. As she took a moment to think it over, she didn't have many choices. She could hail a cab or call someone to pick her up, but that wouldn't look good if she returned drunk, and she would still need to pick her car up later. She sighed and nodded her head; she'd been in worse situations before and she could take care of herself. "If you try anything funny, I'll rip your balls off and shove 'em down your throat. You get me?" she said, giving him a stern look.

Rayff gulped at her sudden aggressive nature and nodded. "Um, of course. You can trust me." He smiled weakly, trying to put her at ease.

Lucretia gave him one last intimidating glare before nodding. She grabbed her purse and got up from her seat, but stumbled a bit, quickly grasping the back of the chair to prevent herself from falling.

Seeing her wobbly on her feet, he got up as well and helped her keep her balance. "Here, let me help you," he said, taking one of her arms and putting it around his neck to use himself as a support.

"Thanks…" she barely managed to say.

She and Rayff made their way out of the bar, taking an elevator up to his room. Throughout the trip there, the two of them remained rather silent. Lucretia was just focused on getting to a bed while Rayff was still slightly intimidated by her tough-girl demeanor. Perhaps she was more trouble than he thought, something not worth the hassle. When they arrived at his room, he slid his keycard in and opened the door.

"Well, here we are. You can use the bathroom if you need or just crash on the couch… or whatever," said Rayff as he helped her inside, shutting the door behind them.

Lucretia broke away from him and made her way over to the bed. "Couch? What kind of gentleman are you? I'm taking the bed." She sat on the side of the bed, taking off her red high heels and placing her purse on the bedside table. She stretched her arms high into the air as she yawned, looking to the bathroom. "You got any extra towels in there?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. There should be some extras in there," said Rayff as he leaned against a nearby wall. "What are you going to do, take a shower?"

She got up from the bed and made her way over to the bathroom, opening up the door. "I might. We'll see." She shut the door after stepping in and the sound of the lock clicking was heard.

Rayff remained standing off to the side until he heard the sound of rushing water. Once he felt it was clear, he meandered over to the bedside and sat down, looking at Lucretia's purse. "Hmm…maybe a sneak peak wouldn't hurt," he said to himself as he took the purse. He opened it up, only seeing a few items: her wallet, cell-phone, and a few other womanly things. Smirking, he took the wallet and set the purse back down on the side table, still hearing the sounds of water splashing in the bathroom. He opened it up and the first thing he saw were the various debit and credit cards stashed away in it, making him grin with delight. But just as he began to get his hopes up, they were soon extinguished as he gazed upon her ID card.

He quickly began to rethink his scheme once he realized that he was looking at a military ID. He read the card and learned that Lucretia Ren was a staff sergeant in the army, stationed at the nearby base. And not only that, she was a member of the Crimzon Roses, an elite Special Forces unit. Upon realizing who she really was, there was no way he planned on robbing her and getting away spot free. He was dead certain that Lucretia would find a way to track him down and make him pay for taking advantage of her. Suddenly, the sounds of rushing water stopped in the bathroom, prompting him to close the wallet and return it back in the purse.

Just as he got the purse to the way it was, he returned to his place at the side of the bed as the bathroom door opened. Lucretia stood in the door way, her dirty-blonde, shoulder-length hair still slightly wet. For some reason, she had a sultry look on her face as she seductively stood there, looking at Rayff.

He just sat there, looking at her with mixed feelings and thoughts. "So…how was the shower?" he asked with a casual smile, loosening his tie and removing it.

Lucretia smirked and ran a hand through her hair. "I just washed my face. I decided that I'll take a shower in the morning to help wake me up." She continued to stand there, and to Rayff's amazement, she started to undo the zipper on her back. She kept her gaze on Rayff as she undid her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she stepped out of it, pushing it off to the side with her foot.

As she stood there wearing only her black, silk lingerie, Rayff couldn't help but get aroused and worried at the same time. On her right thigh were three silver, stainless-steel throwing knives, sheathed in a concealed holster secured by a garter belt. He gulped and tried to avoid looking at them, instead focusing on her body, which was rather fit yet still retained its alluring feminine curves.

She noticed him glancing at her knives, and looked down at them, chuckling a bit. "Oh, don't worry. These aren't for you." She slipped them off and set them on the dresser before walking towards him, her hips swaying alluringly as she pushed him back on the bed, straddling his waist.

Seeing her on top of him like that, he started to loosen up and placed his hands on her hips as she gazed into his eyes. The two of them looked at each other for a few moments, saying nothing as they just listened to the beating of their hearts in their chest. Before Rayff could react, Lucretia moved in and gave him a passionate kiss, the two of them losing themselves in each other's embrace for the rest of the night.

#

"Say, where were you this weekend?"

Lucretia looked through her scope at the metal target down range, factoring in several variables before making her shot. "What's it to ya? I was out enjoying my weekend off," she said, still adjusting her sniper rifle.

The shooter positioned on the spot next to her set his rifle down and looked to her. "You missed Sgt. Andrews' cook-out. I thought you were going," he said.

She took aim with her rifle and held her breath, depressing the trigger mid-heartbeat as her shot hit several inches away from the center of the target. She exhaled and cursed to herself as she reloaded her weapon, pulling back on the bolt and pushing it forward to load another round into the chamber. "The Sharpshooter's barbecue was this past weekend? Damn. Sorry, bro. I forgot."

"It's fine. So where did you go? I didn't see you around all day yesterday and you seem kinda out of it today."

Before preparing for another shot, she set her rifle down as well, turning to meet his eyes. "I kinda…got piss drunk and had a one-night stand with a random guy I met at the casino." She sighed slightly, remembering bits and pieces of the night before. From what she could remember, it was a fun experience and she yearned for more. "But to tell you the truth, he was kinda cute and I was really in the mood, I guess you can say."

"Did you get his number?" he asked out of the blue.

Sadly, she shook her head. "I was too freaked out when I woke up to find myself naked in bed with him. I just got everything and bolted. I guess I should've stayed a bit to talk things out or get an explanation, but whatever."

The other shooter just nodded his head, surprised at her straightforwardness with him. "Wow. Well, that's… interesting. But you should be more careful, Lucky. That guy could've been a creep or some psychopath. You could've ended up dead for all you know."

"Nah. I can take care of myself. Besides, he seemed harmless enough." She smirked haughtily and focused back on her shooting, re-shouldering her rifle as she looked back down range through her scope.

"Yeah, I guess that you can," said the other shooter before returning to shooting as well.

Before firing again, Lucretia couldn't help but think about Rayff and the night they shared together. That was one of the few times she truly felt alive and wanted by another. She needed that feeling again, the one of being in a man's loving embrace. Hearing the soldier next to her fire off his weapon, she snapped out of her fantasy and returned to her own shooting, readjusting the scope on her rifle.

#

Over the next few days, Lucretia went back to the casino to try and find Rayff again, but to no avail. She continued to win big as usual wherever she went, be it at the Blackjack, Craps, or Roulette tables, but she still couldn't find him. It wasn't until her next full weekend off that she caught a glimpse of him at the casino. She had just doubled her money at the Roulette table by betting on red and wanted something more exciting. It wasn't until she spotted Rayff wearing the same suit that she almost jumped for joy. He was sitting at a Blackjack table, so she hurried over to him, taking the empty seat beside him.

"So, look who it is. The Lady Killer," said Lucretia as she set her tray of chips in front of her.

Rayff nearly jerked out of his seat as he heard Lucretia beside him. He had been watching another potential sucker to seduce and rob until she showed up out of nowhere. After calming down, he turned to meet her enthusiastic grin. "Oh, it's you. Um. Lucinda, right?"

"Lucretia. It's Lucretia, Rayff." She gave him a stern look, somewhat disappointed that he had forgotten her name already.

"Oh, right. Right. So… how've you been? I didn't… expect to see you around after what, you know, happened last time we met."

Lucretia blushed a little, placing her bet down so the dealer could begin the round. "Well, actually, that was kinda why I wanted to talk to you again. I sorta… liked what we did and… you know, wouldn't mind doing more things like that."

He raised an eyebrow, turning back to her after losing his hand against the dealer. "You… do?" He gulped nervously, diverting his gaze from her.

"Well, yeah," she said with a smile.

"I mean, it was pretty unbelievable that you were so… willing, and all. But yeah, I guess I wouldn't mind having sex with you again." As soon as he said that, he cursed under his breath to himself. What was he doing, he thought. She worked for the military and could have his head on a platter if she were to find out. But he couldn't help himself; Lucretia was unlike any other woman he had been with in the past. She was attractive, rich, and had an amazing body, but then again, she was also military. Weighing the risks, he decided to go for it. "Um, you know. I got a room at the hotel again… if you want to relive old memories."

After collecting her winnings from getting a 21, she smirked, using her hand to brace her head on the table as she looked at him. "Eager, are we?" She continued to smile at him, biting her lip a little in a seductive fashion. "Then lead the way."

#

"Yo, wake up. Briefing's about to start soon."

Lucretia shook awake, sitting up straight in her chair. She was sitting in a small room amongst other soldiers awaiting a mission briefing. "Huh, what?"

"The Major is on his way. He'll be here soon," said the soldier sitting next to her, shaking his head. "What's the matter with you? Ever since you got that new boyfriend of yours, you've been completely out of it. How long have you been with him now?"

"Urgh, a few months I think. But who cares. Once I'm on duty, I'm good to go and I get the job done, so don't worry about me. Geez," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she yawned.

When the major arrived, the room stood at attention as he entered the briefing room. After stepping in, he promptly put everyone at ease as he made his way to the front of the room. "Good morning, ladies and gents," he said in a hurried fashion. As everyone took their seats again, he tapped the projection screen and began the briefing. "We have a situation on our hands that requires our utmost attention. As you all know, there has been several instances of pirate attacks in the area by a professional pirate crew, mostly in the main shipping lanes." He swiped his hand across the screen, showing the soldiers present several pictures of ships that had been targeted in the past. "But we have current reports of a high-profile transport ship getting attacked by a pirate crew, its crew being held hostage. This pirate crew we're dealing with is a no non-sense outfit. They are ruthless in nature and wouldn't think twice about executing hostages, even if it's just a feeling they have of us trying to move against them. We don't want a repeat of the Kesner Operation where ten hostages were summarily executed when they caught whiff of our inbound strike team."

Suddenly, there were murmurs from the crowd as they reminisced about the military blunder. Lucretia remained quiet in her seat, focused on the screen. "So what's our POA, Major?" she asked loudly over the chatter.

The major looked at her and continued the briefing. "Our objective is to take out the pirate leadership to buy us some time. Once the main leaders are taken out, we're going to send in an orbital strike team to take care of everything else. That's where you come in, Sgt. Ren."

"Me, sir?"

The major nodded. "We're sending in a deep-strike sniper team to take out the pirate leadership. You'll be leading this mission, sergeant."

Lucretia looked surprised, but confident. "Roger that, sir. Do we know who the leader is?"

The major tapped on the screen, revealing a file photo of the pirate leader. "Indeed we do."

As soon as the picture appeared on the screen, Lucretia cringed, glancing away momentarily before looking back to make sure she was seeing it correctly.

Seeing her sudden flustered expression, the major decided to probe a little. "Is there a problem, sergeant?"

Lucretia directed her attention to him and shook her head. "No, sir." After the major nodded and continued on, she cursed under her breath. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Rayff?"

###


	2. Chapter 2 - Priorities

"Don't worry; you'll be fine. I've got your back."

Corporal Devan nodded in acknowledgement and stepped off the ramp, crossing her arms over her chest while remaining as straight as she could. Lucretia looked over the edge and watched as her partner plunged into the water below, slipping below the surface without so much as a single ripple.

"Good luck, ma'am!" said the dropship's crew chief, trying to voice himself over the dull hum of the ship's engines.

Staff Sergeant Lucretia gave him a half salute and stepped off the ramp as well, piercing the water's surface the same way her partner had. The chill of the nighttime air, combined with the sudden rush of water against her face, heightened her sense of awareness. She felt calm as she returned to the surface, the cold breeze nipping at her wet face. Looking up, she searched the sky for the transport that had brought them to the insertion point, an oasis in the middle of the desert. Even though it was dark, there was just enough light from the moons to see the dropship fly away towards the horizon.

She and Devan had been dropped miles away from their target to avoid detection. They were also inserted during the night in order to utilize the cover of darkness. The ship they came in on was disguised as a civilian transport to throw off any lurking pirate scouts in the area. The ship didn't stop to drop them off, so they had to jump off into the water below as it flew by, though at a slow enough pace. Looking further up into the sky, Lucretia noticed the stars and couldn't help but admire them for a brief moment.

Seeing her partner lost in deep thought, pondering about some minute thing, Devan tossed a pebble from the shore at her to break her out of the trance. "C'mon, ma'am. I've already retrieved my gear from the bottom of the pool."

Lucretia shook off her daydream and looked to her. "Sorry about that. Just don't get to see the stars like this that often in the city," she said with a bit of hesitation in her voice. Remembering the mission, she dove under the water and searched around for the bag containing her gear. Although she was swimming in combat boots, she still managed to swiftly navigate through the small lake, kicking rapidly through the water. With the moons providing some light, she looked back and forth along the bottom and spotted the fluorescent stripes on her black duffel bag.

She started to swim towards it until without warning, she felt something grasp her leg. She was pulled forcefully away through the water, bubbles escaping her mouth as she gasped. When she turned around, she saw what had grabbed her: the bioluminescent body of a desert Crackaw, a massive crab-like creature with two lethal claws. It stood four feet tall, had six legs, and wielded two meaty claws that could pierce some of the densest metals. It had her leg gripped lightly at the moment, so she acted quickly before it tore off a limb. She drew her sidearm and emptied the magazine into the creature's vulnerable spot: its exposed eyes. The raging crab let go of her as it drifted downwards to the bottom of the pool, spewing its light-blue blood into the water. Holstering her gun, she quickly swam back to the surface before she ran out of air, gasping heavily as she breached the surface.

"Ma'am, are you okay!?" asked Devan as she watched from the shore. Her sidearm was drawn and ready to defend her partner from the mysterious assailant.

"I'm fine. It was just a pesky Crackaw." She took a deep breath before going back under to recover the bag. After retrieving it, she swam over to Devan who was already on the shore checking her equipment. "You seem eager to get started," said Lucretia, opening up her bag.

"I'm just excited to finally be doing another op with you, ma'am," said Devan with a smile. "It makes me happy to do these kinds of missions. Alone in a remote area. Just the two of us. It's a perfect time to have some good quality girl talk, ya know?"

"If that's the only reason you signed up to be a recon sniper, then you're messed up in the head," said Lucretia. "But small talk once in a while is nice, I guess."

Devan smiled contently. "You know, ma'am, I think it was pretty lucky of me to have finished my training assignment early, and that I got back just in time for the mission, wouldn't you say?"

Lucretia looked away and frowned. "I wouldn't exactly call it _lucky_."

"What do you mean, Lucky? Don't you like having me as a partner?" asked Devan with a confused look.

"Yes…No. You know what? Just forget it. Continue with your business, Rook."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Lucky." The two had little trouble getting their equipment squared away, and after that, they moved on to assembling their weapons. "Um, Lucky? The bolt isn't fitting right into the upper receiver…," said Devan as she fiddled with her rifle's parts.

Lucretia glared at her before scooting over next to her. "Here you are, after two years of field experience, asking me how to secure a bolt home? Are you serious?"

"I think there's something blocking it."

Lucretia rolled her eyes and placed her hand on Devan's, leading her in the proper motion of installing the part. Devan blushed slightly, but immediately turned away once she realized it, making sure that Lucretia didn't see.

"All you have to do is firmly hold it, and then ram it home till it clicks," said Lucretia, still holding her hand as she properly installed the rifle part. "You probably didn't lubricate it and that's why it's not fitting."

"Um, thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. Now that's the last amateur screw up out of you, you get me? I've trained you better than that."

"Don't worry. I think I got it now." Devan nodded and went back to work on her rifle, which had to be broken down in order to fit in the bag.

Lucretia packed all of the gear from her duffel bag somewhere on her person, stowing it away in the several pockets and pouches located on her tactical vest, fatigues, or utility belt.

"Let's get moving. We need to find a suitable place to rest till the storm passes."

Since there was a sandstorm occurring near where they were situated, they decided to sleep and wait in the oasis until it passed. Lucretia checked her internally suppressed submachine gun then began making her way through the thick oasis foliage, chopping it down one plant at a time with her machete. Devan slung her suppressed sniper rifle over her shoulder then picked up her suppressed submachine gun as well, following right behind Lucretia as she cleared a path through the bush. After making it up the bank, they searched for a place to rest until morning.

"That looks like a good spot," said Lucretia as she motioned towards a clearing under some palm trees. Their large leaves provided desirable cover while they slept, shielding them from any aerial threats above. She and Devan meandered over to the clearing and laid on the sandy, desert ground to get some sleep. Lucretia was lying on her back with her arms folded behind her head, while Devan was on her side, facing away from her. "Get some rest, soldier. You're going to need it for the long hike to our shooting position," said Lucretia.

"R-Roger that, m-ma'am…" said Devan as she tried to get comfy.

As she laid there, Lucretia winced as she thought she heard some chattering sounds coming from beside her. "Is that you making that sound?" She looked over and saw Devan bundled up in the fetal position, shivering while rubbing her arms.

"Y-Yes, m-ma'am," said Devan through chattering teeth.

"Are you…cold?"

"W-Well, this uniform was designed for the blistering t-temperatures of desert warfare, n-not the freezing cold." There was a brief moment of silence between the two as Lucretia watched her partner shiver next to her. Devan cringed as she felt an arm reach around her. "M-Ma'am, what a-are you doing?"

"Calm down. I'm just trying to keep you warm," said Lucretia as she wrapped her arms around Devan, moving her body up close to hers.

"By cuddling up with me?"

"Do you want me to share my body heat with you or not? I'm used to the cold, so I don't mind sleeping by myself if you're uncomfortable with this."

Devan paused for a moment and thought it over. "It's fine. I want to stay warm."

"Good. I can't have my shooter getting sick on me. I need you in tip-top condition when you take the shot," said Lucretia as she held her close. Devan smiled and got more comfortable on the ground, her checks turning a slight shade of red as she closed her eyes.

#

"Stay down. Wait for them to pass," said Lucretia, watching an enemy patrol drive by. "Don't do anything stupid, or I'll have your hide." She and Devan were lying prone on the searing desert floor next to some indigenous shrubs, waiting for a patrol to pass by before continuing on. The sun was up and about, raising temperatures to scorching levels. As they lay in wait, Devan made sure to lower the lens cap on her rifle's scope to get rid of any glare that might give away their position.

Complimenting their desert style uniform and sniper role, they had ghillie suits packed along with the rest of their gear. The suit was sand colored and consisted of a blanket-like shroud that covered their backs, making them blend better with their surroundings. This allowed the shooter to remain hidden longer while lying prone on the ground, or while moving in the crouched position. They were both wearing them which made the temperature seem even hotter, but bearable.

Once the patrol was gone, Lucretia and Devan rose from the sand and continued on. Devan wiped the sand from her body and followed behind her superior. While they trekked through the sand dunes of the arid desert terrain, Lucretia couldn't help but let her mind wander again. She began thinking about her boyfriend and the many freedoms a life with him would offer. She smiled, recounting how she and he met in a casino one night and how he charmed her with riches.

Devan, feeling uneasy with the silence as they walked, decided to engage in small talk with her partner to pass the time. "So what kind of treasure are these guys after anyway, ma'am?"

Lucretia flinched then turned around. "What?"

Devan sighed and shook her head. "You're zoning out again. You're the one who's usually the alert one. You feeling all right?"

"Oh, I just have a lot of things on my mind. That's all."

"Really? Is there anything I can help with?" asked Devan, moving beside her partner.

"Nope. What I'm thinking about doesn't concern you."

"Okay then. So again, I ask, what are these guys specifically after? In the mission briefing, all they said the pirates were after were items of high value. But what? I mean, these pirates are going through a lot just for one measly civilian transport."

"That's no ordinary transport. It's a high-security transport used for moving high-value items. It's just disguised as a normal transport to throw people off. The transport was heading to Grimstone Bank, so who knows what could be on that ship. Jewels. Money. Precious heirlooms. Take your pick," said Lucretia as she licked her lips, visualizing the potential things the treasure could be.

"Really? So how do you know all that, ma'am? Did you get a special brief I didn't know about?"

"What? No. It's just a hunch." She stumbled a bit as she lost her footing momentarily in the sand.

Devan thought she saw something in Lucretia's eyes, but shrugged it off as she continued along the way into the mass barrenness of the desert. She looked out into the distance and saw nothing but sand dune after sand dune. The planet they were on was pretty dull and lifeless, she thought, and she couldn't wait to get off of it. The sun was extra bright and the air was dry and arid. Her tongue was parched as she opened her mouth to yawn. Looking on the bright side, Devan was content that at least she was doing another mission with Lucretia again. After a few more steps, her partner stumbled again. "Are you sure you're all right? You're acting rather peculiar," said Devan.

"That wasn't me. There's something moving beneath the sand." Before they knew it, a creature rose out of the sand behind Devan, hissing and brandishing its sharpened claws. "Sand Mantis!" Lucretia moved on instinct and pushed her out of the way, taking the swipe from the creature. Devan rolled off to the side then looked up at the animal attacking Lucretia, who dropped her weapon after receiving another slash from the mantis. The ten-foot tall creature had a brown, reinforced exoskeleton on its body which made small arms fire nearly ineffective, but its head was still a vulnerable spot.

Devan took aim with her submachine gun and fired off a burst into the bug's head. The mantis reeled from the attack then turned its attention towards her. It proceeded to move towards her until she fired another burst into its head, killing it instantly. The mantis fell next to Lucretia on the ground, twitching once or twice after it died. Devan was about to make her way over to her mentor when another mantis appeared right behind her. She aimed her gun and unloaded the rest of her ammunition into the insect, causing it to churn out green hemolymph all over Lucretia.

"Are you all right, ma'am?"

"Just dandy," said Lucretia as she flicked the blood from her hands.

Devan hurriedly came to her side to see how she was doing, noticing the wounds that Lucretia received during the engagement. "Ma'am, you're hurt!" Her eyes were wide with concern as she felt the wounds on her body.

Lucretia wasn't concerned at all and casually took out her med-kit to treat the injuries. "This is nothing. Remember the nasty one I got on Kascus?"

"Don't remind me, ma'am. I nearly had a heart attack while waiting for you in the hospital. Here, let me do it." Devan gently took the medical supplies from her and continued tending the cuts. She tenderly cleaned her up and patched the gashes closed, using the biofoam to keep the wounds sealed until they could properly be looked at by a professional.

"Thanks, Rook. You did a good job back there, taking out those two mantises."

"Don't mention it," she said, helping Lucretia to her feet. Devan picked up her rifle and gave it back to her with a smile. "All this daydreaming of yours is gonna get you killed."

Lucretia dusted off her rifle and gave her a stern look. "Don't worry about my daydreaming and just focus on the mission. What has gotten into you? All this extra attention you've been giving me is highly inappropriate behavior for a soldier, so quit it." She tried to remain firm with her, but after noticing a distressed look on Devan's face, she realized that she was taking out all her frustration on her. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just dealing with a lot. Let's keep moving."

Devan nodded and continued on their way, wondering about Lucretia's odd behavior in her head. She shook her head, putting the thoughts aside as she trekked along with her.

#

"There's the camp," said Lucretia as she peered through her spotter's scope.

"Got it. Searching for our target." Devan looked through her sniper rifle's scope and scanned the pirates' position in search of their leader. The pirates had set up a position around the downed civilian transport, their own ship situated nearby.

The two of them were positioned on top of a sand dune overlooking the camp from a distance. They were situated so that the sun was at their backs, making them hard to spot if anyone from the camp below looked up in their direction.

"Eyes on the hostages yet?" asked Lucretia.

"Not yet, ma'am."

The two of them scanned back and forth through the camp until Lucretia spotted their target coming out of the downed ship's hull. "Command, we are at the final firing position and have confirmation on the target. Awaiting further orders," said Lucretia over her com-link.

"Roger that, Lucky. Standby for further orders," said one of the operators.

As they were waiting for the go ahead, Devan adjusted her rifle's scope to account for the several variables needed for an optimal firing trajectory. "Hey, what would you say is the approximate distance to the target?" There was no response. "Lucky? Hey, Lucky?" She looked over and saw Lucretia staring through her scope in a trance like state, following the pirate leader as he walked around the camp. One hand was on her scope while the other was trembling near the sidearm at her waist. She was still contemplating the dilemma that had been troubling her all throughout the mission. Devan noticed her unbuckle her sidearm's holster and asked, "Lucky, you all right?"

Lucretia snapped out of it and moved her hand away from her sidearm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she asked, turning her attention away from the scope and towards her partner.

"You were reaching for your sidearm."

"Was I? I'm just anxious to get this guy, that's all." Lucretia's smile was obviously fake.

Devan was too busy looking through her rifle's scope and didn't catch on to it. "I hear ya. Now help me with the firing solution. I asked about the distance to the target, but you were off in your own little world again."

"Oh, sorry about that." Lucretia refocused and looked back through the scope and started analyzing.

As Devan listened to her spotter and mentor, she adjusted the rifle as needed. "I think that just about does it. All we need to do is wait for the green light."

"Yeah, now we wait. Keep an eye on the target."

Several moments went by as the two snipers waited patiently in the heat of the sun, their backs burning from the sun's rays and their stomachs heated from the scorching sand underneath them. Suddenly, Devan heard a hiss coming from behind Lucretia and looked away from her scope. She gasped and reached for her sidearm as a baby desert mantis lurked above her partner. "Ma'am, don't move!" she aimed her pistol and fired, blowing the mantis' head off as the rest of its body sunk back into the sand.

Lucretia winced at the sudden gunshot as it echoed through the desert and gave her a glare before looking through her scope. "You better hope the target didn't hear that…" As she peered through the scope, the target was obviously spooked as he was looking in their direction.

"Shoot! He heard it! Permission to fire!?" asked Devan. She kept the crosshairs of her rifle on the pirate leader's head. "Wait. What's he doing now? Is he…calling someone?"

Shortly after she said that, she heard a ringing coming from beside her. The telltale jingle of a ringtone resonated from somewhere on Lucretia's person as she gulped nervously, still looking through the spotter's scope. Devan slowly turned her head towards Lucretia as did she, meeting her gaze. The two of them laid next to each other for a few moments, none of them making any sudden movements as the phone continued to ring. Lucretia's brow was covered in sweat drops, her breathing steady as she waited for her partner to make the first move.

As Devan began to raise her sidearm towards her, Lucretia acted fast and threw a handful of sand into her eyes to disorient her. While Devan was caught off guard and rubbing her eyes, she quickly got to her feet and kicked the gun out of her hand, drawing her own and aiming it at her partner.

After she recovered, Devan looked up to her partner, still sitting on the sand in disbelief. "Just what in the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm sorry it had to end this way. I'm just doing what my heart tells me…" Lucretia remained firm, keeping her gun aimed straight at Devan. The last thing she saw was the silhouetted image of Lucretia and the business end of her sidearm a few inches from her face. Lucretia stood for a moment, silent and unyielding, staring cold-heartedly into her friend's eyes. Devan started to tear up, confused and frightened at the sudden turn of events. "Sorry, Devan."

Once Lucretia saw Devan's lips part to speak her name, she pulled the trigger, firing a .45 caliber projectile right into her forehead. She holstered her weapon as she stood over Devan's lifeless body. She had an emotionless expression as she watched the blood from the body start to seep into the desert floor, mixing with the gritty sand. She pushed her partner's body out of the way with her foot, and watched it tumble down the side of the dune.

After her body came to halt at the base of the mound, Lucretia laid back down on the gritty sand and took hold of the sniper rifle, looking through the weapon's dusty scope. She spotted the pirate leader looking into the distance, still holding the phone to his ear. She reached into her vest with a devious grin and answered the call, placing the phone to her ear without diverting her gaze away from the pirate leader through the rifle's scope. "Yeah?"

"Is it all clear, baby?"

"Yes, love."

"You sure?"

"Don't worry; you'll be fine. I've got your back."

###


End file.
